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CARYOPHYLLEJi. III. DIANTHUS. 



slugs. If there has been much rain during the winter, so that 

 the strength of the compost is reduced, and the salt washed 

 from it, he takes about seven pounds of damaged salt, and adds 

 it to it, either dissolved in water or strewed over with the hand ; 

 this he rinds to be attended with the most beneficial result upon 

 the future health and vigour of the plants. During very heavy 

 rains many florists cover their compost with tarpaulin or double 

 mats, to prevent the nutritious particles from being washed out ; 

 this is also an excellent precaution. This compost is allowed to 

 lie at least six months before it is used. For flowers that are 

 apt to sport in colour, and yellow picotees, he lowers the compost, 

 and uses three barrows of sound staple loam, two ditto old 

 rotten cow-dung, one ditto horse-dung, a half ditto sand, a half 

 ditto lime rubbish, to be prepared and well incorporated as be- 

 fore. Hogg's Treatise, &c. p. 45. 



Maddock's compost (Florist Direct.) is as follows : one-half 

 rotten horse-dung, one year old, one-third fresh sound loam, one- 

 sixth coarse sea or river sand. These ingredients are to be mixed 

 together in autumn, laid in a heap about three feet thick, turned 

 three or four times during winter, and in frosty weather it should 

 be laid sufficiently thin, in order that the whole mass may be 

 thoroughly frozen, this will be fit for use the following spring ; 

 the earth and sand may be added to it in March, the whole 

 should then be well mixed. Where the air is pure, experience 

 has pointed out the propriety of using less dung and more 

 loam, therefore the quantity of sand, loam, and dung should in 

 this case be reversed. 



Pots and potting. The select kinds are always grown in 

 pots. Maddock uses pots 12 inches wide at the top, 6 inches 

 at the bottom and 10 inches deep, with a hole at the bottom an 

 inch in circumference, also three or four smaller holes round the 

 sides at the bottom, to prevent the possibility of water lodging 

 in the pot. Hogg uses pots rather smaller than those recom- 

 mended by Maddock, 12 or 16 to the cast. Potting should 

 commence about the middle of March, but it should never be 

 deferred later than the end of the month : this is to be done in 

 the common way of potting, but the earth should be much more 

 raised at the edges of the pots than in the centre. It is neces- 

 sary in the repotting the plants that they neither should be 

 planted deeper nor shallower than they were before, within an 

 inch of the top of the pot, this is necessary for the purpose of 

 laying, as they will then require additional mould. Hogg con- 

 siders the first week in April the safest and best time to pot 

 Carnations. 



General culture. When the plants are potted off for bloom, 

 the pots should be placed in an open airy part of the garden, 

 under an arch of hoops, that in case of cold drying winds, heavy 

 rains or frosty nights, mats may be thrown over to preserve 

 them from such unfavourable weather ; but in this situation they 

 are always to remain open, except in the cases above mentioned, 

 and to be kept regularly watered with soft water from a fine 

 rose watering-pot. When their flower-stems are grown 8 or 1 

 inches high it will be necessary to support them with sticks, 

 to which the stems are to be loosely tied with twisted pieces 

 of bass-mat ; this should be carefully looked after, as the stems 

 are extremely brittle and apt to be broken by the wind. When 

 the stems have grown about a foot and a half high, the plants 

 should be removed to the stages, there to remain till they 

 flower. 



If any small green winged insects appear on the plants, they 

 must be effectually extirpated, either by means of a small soft 

 brush or feather, by the application of a strong infusion of 

 tobacco-water, or some similar easy and safe expedient ; even 

 Scotch snuff, dusted upon the infested parts early in the morn- 

 ing, while the plants are wet with the dew of the night, has been 

 sometimes tried in this case with success. 



The calyx of many sorts are apt to burst on one side, if 

 not timely prevented, and totally destroy that compact graceful 

 circular form which a perfect flower ought to possess ; but this 

 may be entirely prevented by fastening a small, narrow slip of 

 bladder round the middle of the calyx, where it is most swelled, 

 and appears to have the greatest inclination to burst ; these slips 

 should lap over at the ends and be fixed by a little gum-water. 

 Small slips of bass-mat, tied with a single knot, will answer 

 nearly as well. When any of the flowers open, such should 

 be shaded both from sun and rain by means of paper covers, 

 about 12 inches in diameter, painted white or green, and 

 formed like an umbrella; each should have a tin tube in the 

 centre, that will permit the stick to which the stem is tied to pass 

 through it as far as is necessary. But when the major part are 

 in bloom a cloth awning should be placed over the whole, and 

 be drawn up or let down in the same manner and on the same 

 occasions as for the bloom of hyacinths and tulips. As ear- 

 wigs are very destructive to the flowers of Carnations, it is neces- 

 sary to have a reservoir of water round the stages in order to pre- 

 vent them, at all events the plants should be frequently examined. 



Those who are particularly curious in blowing their car- 

 nations, carefully extract such petals as are plain or run 

 from their true colours ; they perform this by means of an in- 

 strument adapted to the purpose, and with the same arrange the 

 remaining petals so as to supply the defect ; in like manner they 

 dispose the whole with such regularity, that the flowers appear 

 to have an equal distribution of beautiful petals ; and if the 

 blossoms consist of too many petals, they extract the smaller 

 ones, and thereby afford the others more room to expand. Four 

 or five plants in a pot have always a more elegant appearance 

 than one or two, and seldom more than four or five blossoms 

 should be allowed to expand on the same plant ; the smaller 

 buds should be picked off. 



Carnations are to be treated in winter much like auriculas ; 

 they are seldom injured by a moderate dry frost, though it is 

 safer to defend them from too much of it ; but it is necessary 

 to caution against covering up too close when the plants are 

 wet, as they are apt in that state to contract a destructive mil- 

 dew, if they have not the benefit of a free circulation of air ; 

 this mildew makes its first appearance in purple spots on the 

 foliage, which can only be cured or prevented from spreading 

 amongst the adjacent plants by cutting of the infected parts, or 

 removing the plants so diseased. It is necessary to defend the 

 plants from excessive rain in winter and autumn, for it is safer 

 at this season to keep them rather too dry than too moist, but 

 a moderate degree of moisture is always to be preferred, ex- 

 cept when the weather is severely frosty. As too long a de- 

 privation from light is at all times prejudicial to plants, whenever 

 the winter repository is required to be closely covered up with 

 mats for several days and nights, no opportunity should be lost 

 during the middle of the day, if the sun shines, to take off the 

 mats in front of the glasses. When the pots become green 

 with moss on the top, or too compact, it will be proper to stir it 

 up carefully about half an inch deep, and sprinkle a little 

 coarse dry sand upon it, this will be of great service to the 

 plants and may be repeated as often as necessary. In spring, 

 before the potting commences, the pots will probably require to 

 be frequently watered. Hogg gives a top dressing to his bloom- 

 ing plants about the middle of June, with about half an inch of 

 rotten horse-dung, passed through a sieve, which he finds mate- 

 rially to assist the plants, and promote the growth of the shoots 

 for layers. He waters freely while the flower-buds are swelling, 

 and during the whole time they are in blossom. As soon as 

 the side shoots appear, a paper, collar is put round the bottom 

 of the blossom to support it. These collars are made of white 

 card paper, of the form of a circle, 3 or 4 inches in diameter, 



